The present invention relates to compartmented paperboard carriers and more particularly to a bottle carrier or the like prepared from two identical blanks of cut and scored corrugated paperboard.
There are a great number of bottle carriers presently on the market for use with one way bottles. However, in most cases, these bottle carriers are prepared from lightweight paperboard since the anticipated use is for conventionally sized bottles. On the other hand, there is a distinct need for heavy duty carriers that can be used both for returnable bottles and/or for oversized one way bottles. Moreover, there is a need for such a container that is inexpensive to manufacture and easy to set up for use.
In this regard, the patent literature discloses several different container designs that more-or-less satisfy the intended purpose. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 2,850,223 discloses a heavy duty carrier that is prepared from a single blank of paperboard. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,547,339 shows such a container that is also constructed from a one piece blank of corrugated paperboard. However, in each case, the carriers are prepared from complicated blanks that use an extraordinary amount of paperboard material and which must be prepared on a die press or the like which generates a lot of waste material. In like manner, the patent literature also discloses heavy duty bottle carriers prepared from multiple blanks of paperboard. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 1,798,612 discloses a bottle carrier prepared either from two separate blanks (FIG. 6) or from two blanks that are secured together (FIG. 8). Meanwhile, U.S. Pat. No. 2,823,845 discloses a bottle carrier prepared from several blanks that are stapled together. However, these carriers are obviously expensive and difficult to fabricate.
In contrast to the above, the bottle carrier of the present invention is prepared from two identical blanks of corrugated paperboard which are partially formed by the manufacturer and then shipped in collapsed condition to the user. At the point of use, the bottom flaps of the blanks are sealed together and the two container halves are adhered together to produce a single bottle carrier with an integral divider. Furthermore, the two blanks used to prepare the bottle carrier disclosed herein are each prepared on high speed equipment with a minimum of waste. Thus, the bottle carrier prepared in accordance with the present invention is inexpensive to manufacture and is easily formed and glued on readily available equipment.